At the beginning of the season, Jose Mourinho took on a bold new challenge by agreeing to manage Fenerbah\u00e7e until the end of the 2026\/27 season. While his time in Istanbul has had both highs and lows, Mourinho has gradually built a system of his own. Now, the future of Fenerbahce looks to be in safe and experienced hands.<\/p>\n
Mourinho is a manager who has led some of the biggest football clubs in the world, collecting every major trophy along the way. Taking over at Fenerbahce, however, was a decision that could reshape the final chapter of his career. Fans were passionate and thrilled about his arrival, but perhaps their expectations were a bit unrealistic from the start.<\/p>\n
For those unfamiliar with Turkish football: Fenerbahce is one of the league\u2019s top clubs, yet they haven\u2019t won a league title in over eleven years. While the exact reasons are debated, often referred to as \u201cunknown\u201d, the pressure on Mourinho was immense. He knew the job wouldn\u2019t be easy, but even he didn\u2019t expect the bizarre challenges Turkish football had in store.<\/p>\n
According to Fenerbah\u00e7e president Ali Koc, Mourinho had already been watching past matches before signing. But many journalists argued that Mourinho focused more on analysing whether the squad could fit into his tactical setup and may have underestimated just how different the Turkish Superleague is.<\/p>\n
The league\u2019s dynamics are unpredictable. Team profiles are inconsistent, player professionalism can be questionable, and the overall quality lags behind Europe\u2019s top five leagues. Furthermore, Fenerbahce executive board suggests that the long-lasting tension between Fenerbahce and Turkish Football Federation affects the decisions of the referees within matches against the team.<\/p>\n
Mourinho later admitted that if the club\u2019s executives had fully explained these issues, he might not have taken the job.<\/p>\n
Read More:\u00a0<\/strong>\u2018Unfinished Business\u2019: Jose Mourinho Looking to Make a \u2018Sensational Return\u2019 According to Reliable Journalist<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n One of Mourinho\u2019s first observations was that Fenerbahce played too slowly in the previous season. Although there was a basic system in place, it wasn\u2019t suited to the counterattacking football he uses.<\/p>\n He asked for key transfers, only to be reminded of Turkey\u2019s foreign player restrictions. To bring in the players he wanted, some players would have to leave the club. As a result, underperformers like Miha Zajc, Rade Krunic, and Joshua King were shown the door.<\/p>\n Mourinho originally planned to implement a 3-5-2 formation, but club president Ali Koc rejected the idea due to bad memories of past failures with that setup. Forced to adapt, Mourinho reluctantly shifted to a 4-3-3 system.<\/p>\n In terms of squad building, the team added Allan Saint-Maximin on loan from Al Ahli. After losing Michy Batshuayi to arch-nemesis Galatasaray, Fenerbah\u00e7e spent \u20ac25 million to sign Youssef En-Nesyri from Sevilla, a transfer that fans weren\u2019t thrilled with at first. To make matters worse, some transfers were completed before Mourinho\u2019s arrival, clashing with his professional philosophy. Levent Mercan, one such player, saw little to no game time early in the season.<\/p>\n Mourinho approved the signing of \u00c7aglar Soyuncu from Atletico Madrid and made him a starter at center-back. The club also brought in promising winger Oguz Ayd\u0131n, Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, veteran striker Cenk Tosun, and Filip Kostic to replace Ferdi Kadioglu, who moved to Brighton. Then the season began, and chaos followed.<\/p>\n The early part of the season frustrated Fenerbahce fans. Under Mourinho’s management, the team played passively, often surrendering possessions and waiting for the opposition to make mistakes. This defensive pragmatic approach was against with Fenerbah\u00e7e\u2019s traditional attacking identity.<\/p>\n While Mourinho has never cared much about playing flashy football, only about winning, this mindset led to a major disconnection with the fans. Unfortunately for him, the results didn\u2019t help his case either.<\/p>\n Referee controversies, a flawed transfer strategy, and poor on-field performance all combined to create a rocky start. Fenerbah\u00e7e\u2019s squad, built around aging stars like Edin Dzeko and Dusan Tadic, struggled with pace and intensity. Mourinho tailored his tactics around them, but their limitations cost the team dearly in big matches, including losses to Galatasaray (3-1), Be\u015fikta\u015f (1-0), Rangers (3-1), and disappointing draws against Samsunspor.<\/p>\n The average age of the squad hurt the team\u2019s stamina and competitiveness. Dzeko and Tadic, while experienced, were no longer suited to high-intensity football. Their inclusion often disrupted the team\u2019s rhythm and led to critical mistakes.<\/p>\n Several players also underperformed. Fred was forced into an overly defensive role, Soyuncu looked clumsy, and the forms of Osayi-Samuel, Djiku, Becao, and Irfan Can Kahveci were inconsistent. Meanwhile, Saint-Maximin turned out to be a disaster. He has been behaving unprofessionally, skipping training, and reportedly gaining weight.<\/p>\nTransfers, Tactics, and Turbulence<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What Went Wrong?<\/strong><\/h3>\n